Mumbai, Sep 30 (IANS): Director-producer Sooraj Barjatya, who is known for films such as ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’, ‘Uunchai’, ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ and ‘Hum Saath - Saath Hain’, is set to grace the singing reality show, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’.

During the course of the episode, Sooraj shared an anecdote about the song 'Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai’ in which Bollywood superstar Salman Khan teases Madhuri Dixit in the iconic film ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’

This weekend, the 'Shaadi Special' episode features Sooraj Barjatya, his son Avnish Barjatya, and the cast of the upcoming film ‘Dono’- Rajveer Deol, and Paloma Dhillon’ as special guests.

Contestants Rik Basu and Sneha Bhattacharya's duet performance to the songs ‘Pehla Pehla Pyar Hai’ and ‘Aaja Shaam Hone Aaee’ mesmerises everyone.

After listening to their performance, Sooraj Barjatya shares an interesting anecdote from the time when he directed the song ‘Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai’ with Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

“Both of you displayed exceptional singing skills, but I must acknowledge, Rik, I had heard a lot about you. Witnessing the genuine love you portrayed, which is often perceived as scripted in movies, brought immense joy.

“You demonstrated that true and intense love exists in real life too. It was heartwarming to see, and I truly believe you are destined for great success.

“When I listened to your rendition of ‘Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai’, it transported me back to the time when we originally recorded it,” he said.

“Each verse was crafted separately, and I distinctly remember when the chorus – ‘tu hi meri zindagi, tu hi meri bandagi’ – was introduced. Everyone admired it, but I remained silent. My concern was that my hero, Salman, wasn't yet mature and experienced enough in love to reach the ‘zindagi bandagi’ phase. I believed he should at least find a girl first. While others thought it was poetic and beautiful, I didn't want mere poetry; I wanted authenticity,” he said.

He said that he explained in the scene, the characters were playfully teasing each other, but some believed it was true love. That's when his father, Raj Kumar Barjatya suggested that he should have everyone hear the script.

He further mentions, “I believe we don't create hit songs, but rather hit situations. When the situation is right, the song becomes a hit. Therefore, the success depends on the context and situation of the film. I shared the script with everyone, and when we reached the part of the song's situation, Dev Kohli ji understood".

"He focused on how the couple was trying to conceal their love, leading to the line, ‘jaan ke bhi anjana, kaisa mera yar hai, pehla pehla pyar hai, pehli pehli bar hai’. We put in a lot of effort, and the result was a beautiful song that captured everyone's hearts," he concludes.

‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ airs Saturday and Sunday on Zee TV.